Conventional cable or hardware management systems and relay racks provide a method of supporting electrical equipment and managing the cabling associated with the equipment. Typically, these systems or racks are used in a termination closet for the management of telecommunication equipment.
Current cable or hardware management systems include separate channels that are mounted on the sides of the rack supporting the equipment, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,714 to Fournier et al., the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Fournier et al. discloses a rack 20 including left and right vertical members 22 and 28 that support cross-connect products. Left and right cable management channels 60 are mounted onto the sides of vertical members 22 and 28 by clips 100. A single base 38 provides support for rack 20 and channels 60 mounted thereto.
These current systems, however, are costly due to the requirement of multiple racks and channels to support the electrical equipment. Additionally, assembly of the current systems is inefficient because numerous parts, such as racks, channels and equipment, must be assembled.
Examples of other conventional cable management systems include U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,345 to Marovic et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,489,565 to Kreitzman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,011,221 to Lecinski et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,002 to Walters, U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,001 to Masuda et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,916 to Salmon, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2002/0162809 A1 to Hartel, the subject matter of each of which is herein incorporated by reference.